Wavering Radiant
| Wavering Radiant | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
||||
| Studio album by ISIS | ||||
| Released | 21 April 2009 | |||
| Recorded | November 2008–January 2009 | |||
| Genre | Post-metal, sludge metal, progressive metal | |||
| Length | 54:05 | |||
| Label | Ipecac | |||
| Producer | Joe Barresi | |||
| ISIS chronology | ||||
|
||||
| Isis live | |
 Isis performed at Bonnaroo 2010, showcasing many tracks from Wavering Radiant within their setlist. Audio courtesy of NPR. |
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Aggregate scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 79/100 |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   |
| Drowned in Sound | (8/10) |
| The Guardian | |
| Pitchfork Media | (8.5/10.0) |
| PopMatters | (8/10) |
| The Skinny | |
| Slant |  |
| Spin | |
| Sputnikmusic | |
Wavering Radiant is the fifth and final full-length album by American post-metal group Isis, released by Ipecac Recordings in 2009 and produced by Joe Barresi. It stands as Isis' last full-length album, as the band split just over a year after its release. The album continues Isis' history of lengthy songwriting, yet presents a slight departure from the soft-loud dynamics and post-metal aesthetic which characterized previous releases.
Reviewers noted a continued increase in melody from previous releases, and many were quick to note an increased prominence of keyboardist Bryant Clifford Meyer's work, using a Hammond B3 organ. In keeping with Isis' retinue of concept albums, a thematic strand runs throughout, dealing with dreams and Jungian psychology. Critical appraisal was largely positive, with some critics deeming it Isis' finest album; it also appeared on a handful of best-of lists at the close of the year. Commercially, it was Isis' most successful release ever, breaching the Billboard 200 for the first time and gaining international chart presence. It was ranked in the year-end lists by a number of reputed publications. To promote the album, Isis embarked on a world tour and shot a music video for the sixth track "20 Minutes/40 Years."
From conception to final release in 2009, drummer Aaron Harris estimates that the creation and execution of Wavering Radiant took about two and a half years. During the writing of the record, all of Isis' members were residing permanently within Los Angeles; a situation in contrast to their previous full-length, 2006's In the Absence of Truth; band members were divided between New York and Los Angeles throughout that album's inception and creation. The entire band felt a degree of dissatisfaction with In the Absence of Truth, and Harris felt that the logistical change was beneficial to the writing process, allowing for more time: "rather than feeling like we had limited time to capture something, I felt like we could take our time with the songs, and come back the next day to work on things rather than in a few weeks". The resulting sound was described by guitarist Michael Gallagher as "more live [...] a little bit dirtier – almost, for lack of a better word, sloppy. But in a good way. We spent a lot of time getting all of our takes as close to perfect as we could on previous records. On this one, we went more with the vibe of the particular take in question."
...
Wikipedia